Students who threw coloured paint over Lembit Opik labelled 'irresponsible'

'Whatever happened to good old hard boiled eggs?' asked one political commentator, 'or bricks?' he added.

The Hindu festival named Holi has become increasingly popular in recent years with those attracted to alternative means of worship and marketers. 'It's a brilliant way of getting any old colour past the creative director and her sycophants,' said one advertising executive, having used the festival to sell cars and mobile phones previously. 'No hours spent debating swatches of colours, just shitloads of powder paint thrown all over the place. It's so effective, I reckon you could sell religion with it,' he added.

However it is the way it is being misused 'to make a political statements when a good thumping would be more appropriate is what concerns most people,' said the political correspondent, retired Labour MP John Prescott.